The Score (2001) - "An aging thief hopes to retire and live off his ill-gotten wealth when a young kid convinces him into one last heist."
I watched it because: I had not seen it, and Robert De Niro is pretty much always good.
IMDB: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 73% Audience: 67%
story: 5/10--not sure if it is the actual story or the way it was told here, but who could believe this?? It seemed as if the assignments for the characters got mixed up somewhere along the way.
visuals: 6/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 4/10--the silliness quotient is very high. Marlon Brando as an effete, morbidly obese fence. De Niro, at least 50 pounds heavier than he is now, as a cat burglar?! Are you f'ing kidding me?! (Please note that he magically loses that 50 during any scene where his face does not show....)
acting: 5/10--not much to write home about here. Edward Norton's character makes me long to hit him (Edward, not the character) hard in the mouth. De Niro (Nick) is as believable as anyone could be in an unbelievable role. Angela Bassett (Diane) plays a strong woman who also reveals her vulnerability, with class, and brings the whole shitshow up from the murky bottoms.
intangibles: 8/10--the ending was so good that it made me want to go back and punch the rest of the movie in the mouth
overall: 5.6/10
I would recommend this to: uhm...no one? I am very surprised that it ended up ranked so high. Yet again, I am inspired to go back to the drawing board to kick in more statistical elements.
Chariots of Fire (1981) - "Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics."
Source: my dad gave me the DVD
I watched it because: I had not seen it, and have been missing sports lately
IMDB: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 85% Audience: 80%
AFI: #100 on 100 Years...100 Cheers (2006)
story: 7/10
visuals: 8/10--I do appreciate a gloomy (i.e. dimly lit) British film
costumes, hair & makeup: 7/10
acting: 7/10--standout: Ian Charleson (Eric Liddell), embodying inner turmoil and devoutness
intangibles: 7.5/10--I had not realized how much of the story would be about non-sports issues, but it was wholly engrossing and absolutely worth watching.
Academy Award winner:
• Best Picture
• Best Writing, Screenplay written directly for the screen
• Best Costume Design
• Best Music, Original Score
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor--Ian Holm
• Best Actor--Ian Holm
• Best Director
• Best Film Editing
overall: 7.3/10
I would recommend this to: runners, big sports fans, and those interested in history with a layer of religious or ethical conundrum
overall: 7.3/10
I would recommend this to: runners, big sports fans, and those interested in history with a layer of religious or ethical conundrum
The Bourne Identity (2002) - "A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory."
Source: my dad gave me the DVD
I watched it because: I had not seen it, and was in the mood for a thriller
IMDB: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 83% Audience: 93%
story: 6/10--hard to buy, but easy to be swept into. Kind of like one of those meals where you go out with friends to a restaurant that someone else chooses, order something that is a little more elaborate than you usually eat, devour it all because you are really hungry and distracted by the friendly chatter - and then get home and realize that you are stuffed to the gills and likely just ate enough to power you through three of your average days.
visuals: 7/10--quite dashing
costumes, hair & makeup: 8/10--this should probably go higher, simply for the hair-cutting scene
acting: 6.5/10--this is a big hard Meh, Franka Potente (Marie) is always compelling. There is something about her that I find irresistible and irritating, and I cannot stop watching.
intangibles: 5/10--it comes down to whether you buy the lead in the role, and Matt Damon just does not fit my dashing action hero mold
overall: 6.5/10
Separate Tables (1958) - "The stories of several people are told as they stay at a seaside hotel in Bournemouth which features dining at 'separate tables.'"
Source: my dad gave me the DVD
I watched it because: it is an old favorite. I have seen it a number of times, but it has been a couple of years since the last time - too long.
IMDB: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 69% Audience: 77%
story: 7.5/10--deceptively simple
visuals: 7/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 8.5/10--some stunning dresses, some brilliant "dressing down," and one gorgeous woman "made up" to be dowdy. This is a showcase.
acting: 9/10--where do I start? David Niven (Major Angus Pollock) is phenomenal. Deborah Kerr (Sibyl Railton-Bell) is an absolute marvel of fragility. Burt Lancaster (John Malcolm) stood out for me in this viewing, tormented and vulnerable, as did Rita Hayworth (Ann Shankland), the gorgeous, untouchable, yet perceptive female.
intangibles: 8/10--this is a devastating, sad, wonderful, quiet little film
Academy Award winner:
• Best Actor--Niven
Source: my dad gave me the DVD
I watched it because: I had not seen it, and was in the mood for a thriller
IMDB: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 83% Audience: 93%
story: 6/10--hard to buy, but easy to be swept into. Kind of like one of those meals where you go out with friends to a restaurant that someone else chooses, order something that is a little more elaborate than you usually eat, devour it all because you are really hungry and distracted by the friendly chatter - and then get home and realize that you are stuffed to the gills and likely just ate enough to power you through three of your average days.
visuals: 7/10--quite dashing
costumes, hair & makeup: 8/10--this should probably go higher, simply for the hair-cutting scene
acting: 6.5/10--this is a big hard Meh, Franka Potente (Marie) is always compelling. There is something about her that I find irresistible and irritating, and I cannot stop watching.
intangibles: 5/10--it comes down to whether you buy the lead in the role, and Matt Damon just does not fit my dashing action hero mold
overall: 6.5/10
I would recommend this to: people looking to pass some time
Separate Tables (1958) - "The stories of several people are told as they stay at a seaside hotel in Bournemouth which features dining at 'separate tables.'"
Source: my dad gave me the DVD
I watched it because: it is an old favorite. I have seen it a number of times, but it has been a couple of years since the last time - too long.
IMDB: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 69% Audience: 77%
story: 7.5/10--deceptively simple
visuals: 7/10
costumes, hair & makeup: 8.5/10--some stunning dresses, some brilliant "dressing down," and one gorgeous woman "made up" to be dowdy. This is a showcase.
acting: 9/10--where do I start? David Niven (Major Angus Pollock) is phenomenal. Deborah Kerr (Sibyl Railton-Bell) is an absolute marvel of fragility. Burt Lancaster (John Malcolm) stood out for me in this viewing, tormented and vulnerable, as did Rita Hayworth (Ann Shankland), the gorgeous, untouchable, yet perceptive female.
intangibles: 8/10--this is a devastating, sad, wonderful, quiet little film
Academy Award winner:
• Best Actor--Niven
• Best Actress--Kerr
• Best Writing, Based on material from another medium
• Best Cinematography, B&W
• Best Music, Score
overall: 8/10
I would recommend this to: fans of the craft of acting, and of film as an art
I would recommend this to: fans of the craft of acting, and of film as an art
[the title quotation is by Marilyn Monroe]
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